Q & A

Federal Housing Spending Bill Moves to Senate, Rejects Rent Policy Changes

June 13, 2018    

The Senate Appropriations Committee voted on June 7 to approve draft legislation to largely boost or maintain spending on housing programs. A similar bill was approved last month by the House appropriations panel. The Senate’s $71.4 billion measure increases spending on programs by more...

HUD Indefinitely Suspends AFFH Rule, Withdraws Assessment Tool

June 13, 2018    

HUD effectively suspended the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, a 2015 regulation that required any community receiving HUD development block-grant funding to routinely identify instances of racial segregation and provide solutions to counter them. Those local governments were required...

President Signs Family Self-Sufficiency Act into Law

June 13, 2018    

On May 24, President Trump signed the Family Self-Sufficiency Act into law. The Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Act permanently reauthorizes the program; combines the FSS programs for Housing Choice Vouchers and public housing, which are currently run separately; and expands eligibility to include...

Senate Confirms Brian Montgomery as HUD Assistant Secretary, FHA Commissioner

June 13, 2018    

The Senate recently confirmed Brian Montgomery as the HUD Assistant Secretary for Housing and Commissioner of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). The final vote was 72-23. Montgomery’s confirmation marks his second term as Assistant Secretary for Housing and FHA Commissioner at HUD....

HUD Names New Deputy Assistant Secretary of Multifamily Housing

June 13, 2018    

HUD recently announced that C. Lamar Seats is the new Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Multifamily Housing Programs. Mr. Seats was a managing director at M&T Realty Capital Corporation, responsible for multifamily loan production related to Federal Housing Administration, Fannie...

HUD Publishes 2018 HCV Implementation Notice

June 13, 2018    

HUD recently published Notice PIH 2018-09, titled “Implementation of the Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2018 Funding Provisions for the Housing Choice Voucher Program.” This notice provides information about the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program implementation in 2018. The notice also...

Owner Can't Evict Due to Undefined Lease Term

June 13, 2018    

Facts: A public housing resident was arrested and charged with simple assault and terroristic threats as a result of an incident that occurred in a courtyard outside of an apartment at another site, approximately 1.2 miles from her residence. The complaining witness told police...

Resident Disqualified from HCV Program for Threatening PHA Staff

June 13, 2018    

Facts: A Section 8 voucher holder sued a local PHA for terminating his participation in the Section 8 voucher program. The resident initially received a voucher for a one-bedroom apartment but desired a two-bedroom voucher, asserting that he’s disabled and requires an...

PHA Didn't Always Ensure Units Met Housing Quality Standards

June 13, 2018    

HUD’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) audited the Housing Choice Voucher program of a PHA in Fairmont, W.Va., because it received a complaint alleging that the PHA didn’t follow program requirements. The PHA administered 1,117 vouchers and received more than $5.2 million in funding...

Section 202 Owner Generally Managed Site in Accordance with Requirements

June 13, 2018    

HUD’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) audited a Section 202 site owner because of concerns raised by HUD’s Departmental Enforcement Center regarding the management of the site. The owner had failed to submit annual financial statements for fiscal years 2013 to 2015. The audit...

Civil Rights Groups Sue HUD for Suspending AFFH Rule

May 11, 2018    

In January, HUD announced that the agency was suspending the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) Rule, which required communities to study and rectify policies and processes that stand in the way of racial integration. Passed in 2015 under the Obama administration, the rule aimed to...

Congressional Democrats Propose to Invest $70B in Public Housing

May 11, 2018    

House Democratic Policy & Communications Committee Co-Chair Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Congressman Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA), and Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh recently introduced “A Better Deal for Public Housing & Ladders of Opportunity for American...

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